CRUZ MAKES TIME FOR FANS FORMER JETHAWK IS QUICKLY GAINING A FOLLOWING IN S.F.Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden - Jose Cruz Jose Luis Cruz (Cheo) can refer to different people:
Early days and the John McGraw era clubhouse at Pacific Bell Park when a guard standing by the door told him a young girl, maybe 6, was waiting for him to sign an autograph. Cruz walked toward the roped-off area near the clubhouse where the girl stood patiently, holding the ball up over her head. Her face lit up when Cruz signed the ball and then shook her hand. Cruz was walking back to the clubhouse she shouted back at him: ``Thank you Jose.'' Cruz paused. Then he turned back toward the girl, and handed her his bat. At a time when ambassadorship has become an ignored if not forgotten practice in pro sports, Cruz is one of the few who values the connection he has with fans, something he learned from watching his father, Jose Cruz Sr., a fan favorite with the Houston Astros “Astros” redirects here. For other uses, see Astros (disambiguation). The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The team is in the Central Division of the National League. , for whom he played from 1975-88. ``I think people remember things like that,'' Jose Cruz Jr. said. ``Meeting people like that, just out of the blue, and not expecting anything and getting a thrill out of meeting somebody.'' One of the original JetHawks, Cruz played a half a season at Lancaster, where he gave fans of the Antelope Valley's first professional sports The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. team plenty to remember. The most accomplished JetHawks alum, Cruz is in his seventh year in the big leagues and his first with the San Francisco Giants, where he signed as a free agent during the offseason. As a JetHawk, he batted .325 (66 for 203) with six homers and 43 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in . He also represented the team in the first California/Carolina League All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games . Cruz remembers the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley buzzing in advance of opening day, with fans filling the stadium just to watch the team's first batting practice before the season even started. ``It really was very exciting,'' Cruz said. ``The atmosphere was what made it such a special place to play in.'' A switch-hitting outfielder coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. for his speed and power, Cruz spent about a quarter of his brief minor-league career in Lancaster. He was in the big leagues less than two years after being drafted by the former JetHawks parent Seattle Mariners. Cruz said the Lancaster facility and the environment was by far the best he'd experienced before making it to the majors. ``It was a letdown going to Double-A (Port City, N.C.),'' he said. ``That park was terrible.'' Cruz was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays "Blue Jays" redirects here. For other uses, see Blue Jay (disambiguation).. The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. midway through his first season in the big leagues for relievers Mike Timlin and Paul Spoljaric, in a trade that was unpopular among Mariners fans. Cruz wasn't thrilled about being moved to Canada, but had several big years for the Blue Jays. In 2001, he batted .274 with 34 homers, 88 RBI and 32 stolen bases. This year, he's been a key player for the Giants, batting .249 with 16 homers and 50 RBI and doing a lot of the little things for a team that going into Tuesday led the National League West by 12 games and had the major league's second best record (69-42). ``I like his professionalism,'' Giants manager Felipe Alou said. ``He's a great defensive right fielder, he bats everywhere in the lineup. He doesn't mind. He's not looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. fame; this guy just wants to improve his game. You need guys like that.'' Fast becoming one of the more popular Giants, Cruz said fan support makes him better. And if bonding with his fans has helped boost his popularity, he has his dad to thank for that. ``He was in the limelight when I was growing up and he seldom turned down an autograph,'' Cruz said. ``People loved him in Houston and I'm sure that's a big reason why.'' Gideon Rubin, (818) 713-3607 gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: CRUZ |
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